IN 2021, we sadly mourned the passing of some of the greatest stars around the world.
Let’s take time out to remember some of the gifted and iconic stars who passed away in 2021.
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Which celebrities died in 2021?
Gerry Marsden
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Gerry Marsden passed away at 78 in January 2021.
The 60s pop singer and his band, Gerry and the Pacemakers, were responsible for hits like You’ll Never Walk Alone, I’ll Be There, How Do You Do It? and I Like It.
He went into hospital on Boxing Day after tests showed he had a serious blood infection that had travelled to his heart.
Cloris Leachman
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Cloris Leachman died at the age of 94 in January 2021.
The star died from natural causes at her residence in California.
The Emmy-winning actress began her career in Hollywood after she was a competitor in the 1946 Miss America Pageant.
With 22 Emmy nominations, Cloris is the most nominated actress of all time.
She is survived by five sons and one daughter.
Larry King
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Larry King died at the age of 87 in January 2021 after receiving treatment for Coronavirus.
The legendary talk host’s former wife Shawn and two sons, Chance and Cannon, were unable to visit him in hospital due to Covid-19 restrictions.
He will be remembered for his warm personality and signature suspenders.
Phil Spector
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Phil Spector died at the age of 81 in Januray 2021 after being rushed to hospital after catching Coronavirus.
The producer was serving a sentence of 19 years for murdering actress Lana Clarkson.
He is survived by his ex-wife and five children.
Christopher Plummer
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Christopher Plummer died at the age of 91 after falling and hitting his head at home in February 2021.
Plummer played Captain von Trapp in the Oscar-winning film, The Sound of Music.
Plummer became the oldest Academy Award acting winner in history at the age of 82 in 2012.
LATEST CELEBRITY DEATHS
Dustin Diamond
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Dustin Diamond died at the age of 44 in February 2021.
The Saved by the Bell star was battling with stage 4 cancer.
The star had been putting off going to the hospital due to fears the public would take photos of him.
He unfortunately passed away in Florida leaving behind his wife Jennifer.
Johnny Briggs
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Johnny Briggs died in March 2021 at the age of 85.
The actor joined Coronation Street and played the popular character of Mike Baldwin in 1976.
He went on to appear in 2,349 episodes before he left the show in 2006.
His family said: “He passed away peacefully this morning after a long illness, with family by his side.
Jessica Walter
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Jessica Walter passed away in March 2021 at the age of 80.
The Arrested Development actress died in her sleep at her home in New York.
The late actress earned an Emmy nomination for her work on the comedy, and she won an Emmy for her starring role on NBC’s short-lived Amy Prentiss in the 1970s.
Helen McCrory
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Helen McCrory died at the age of 52 after her battle with cancer.
The Peaky Blinders star kept her cancer diagnosis private and friends only found out days before she died.
Her husband Damian Lewis broke the unfortunate news in April 2021, saying she had died peacefully at home.
Paul Ritter
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Paul Ritter died at the the of 54 in April 2021.
He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side.
The actor had been suffering from a brain tumour prior to his death.
He starred in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, James Bond’s Quantum of Solace and in the miniseries Chernobyl.
Prince Philip
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Prince Philip died in April 2021 at the age of 99.
After retiring from public duty in 2017, the prince is believed to have lived a peaceful life.
The royal passed away two months and one day short of what would have been his 100th birthday.
After his death, sources shared he didn’t want a fuss for his milestone birthday.
DMX
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DMX – Earl Simmons – died at the age of 50 in April 2021.
The Ruff Ryders rapper suffered a heart attack following a drug overdose.
He was hospitalised for about a week before he passed away leaving behind his six children.
Tawny Kitaen
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Tawny Kitaen died at the age of 59 in May 2021.
The late actress’ cause of death was confirmed as dilated cardiomyopathy.
Tawny was best known for acting as Tom Hanks’s girlfriend in the 1984 comedy Bachelor Party.
She also appeared in films such as Malibu and California Girls and was preparing to release a tell-all memoir exposing other celebrities.
Charlie Watts
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Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died in a London hospital in August 2021.
He died at the age of 80 from an unspecified cause of death.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years – Shirley, their daughter Seraphina and granddaughter Charlotte.
Sarah Harding
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After being diagnosed with breast cancer, singer Sarah Harding died aged 39.
Girls Aloud fans and several celebrities took to social media to shared their condolences.
Loved ones took to social media to share fond memories of Sarah following her death in September 2021.
Willie Garson
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Willie Garson died in September 2021 at the age of 57.
He died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Los Angeles
The actor was best known for playing Stanford Blatch on the hit series Sex and the City and the later films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2.
Gregg Leakes
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Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes’ husband, Gregg Leakes died in September 2021 at the age of 66 years old.
He was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018, but was deemed cancer free six months after undergoing chemotherapy.
He passed away a few months after his cancer unfortunately returned.
Michael K Williams
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Michael K Williams was best known for his appearance as Omar Little in The Wire.
The actor died died of an overdose following a fatal combination of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, cocaine and heroin at the age of 54 in September 2021.
He earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his appearances in the TV biopic Bessie, HBO series The Night Of, Netflix drama series When They See Us, and HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
Virgil Abloh
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Virgil Abloh died at the age of 41 in November 2021.
The fashion designer who founded Louis Vuitton’s Off-White label passed away after battling with cancer for two years.
The star suffered from a rare and aggressive cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, which he was privately diagnosed with in 2019.
He is survived by his wife Shannon and their two children.
Young Dolph
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Young Dolph – Adolph Robert Thornton – died at the age of 36 in November 2021.
The rapper was fatally shot while buying cookies in Memphis.
The star leaves behind two young children and was related to late rapper Juice WRLD, who passed away following an accidental overdose.
Drakeo The Ruler
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Drakeo The Ruler – Darrell Wayne Caldwell – died at the age of 28 in December 2021.
The rapper was fatally stabbed in the neck backstage at around December 18, 2021, during the Once Upon a Time concert in LA.
He released his first official mix tape – I Am Mr Mosely – in October 2015.
Carlos Marin
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Last but not least, Carlos Marin died at the age of 53 just days before Christmas Day.
The German-born Spanish baritone star was infected with the Delta variant of Coronavirus.
His sister Rosa extended an invitation to fans to attend his wake to pay their last respects to the singer.
Other celebrities that died in 2021
- Kevin Clark (December, 3 1988 – May 26, 2021) – Actor best known for playing Freddy the drummer in the School of Rock movie.
- Vicente Fernández (February 17, 1940 – December 12, 2021) – Mexican singer, actor, and film producer.
- Suzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) – Actress best known as Geraldine “Jerri” Peterson on the sitcom The Parent ‘Hood.
- Charles Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) – Actor best known for starring in the movies Beethoven and The Heartbreak Kid.
- George Segal (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) – Actor best known for his role in the film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Halyna Hutchins (April 10, 1979 – October 21. 2021) – Ukrainian cinematographer mistakenly shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film Rust.
